Paul Nicholls plots Cheltenham Festival raid with 'cracking mare' after easy win

Jubilee Alpha was given a quote of 12-1 (from 20) by Paddy Power for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after a dominant display in the Listed feature.

The Paul Nicholls-trained five-year-old travelled extremely strongly in the 2m½f mares' novice hurdle before putting the race to bed when charging clear by three and a half lengths under Harry Cobden.

Jubilee Alpha will bid to emulate Golden Ace, who won twice at Taunton before upsetting favourite Brighterdaysahead at the festival.

Nicholls will first take in a £37,500 mares' novice hurdle on the final day of the Berkshire Winter Million meeting at Windsor on January 19.

He said: "She was a bit unlucky the first day at Newbury but she was a bit green. I was slightly concerned the track might be a bit sharp for her but she travelled so well and jumped better. That was a different ball game.

"We'll probably go to Windsor now which gives us a nice bit of time before Cheltenham. I need one more run for experience but she's a cracking mare."

Serious prospect

Joe Tizzard's wife Rachel gave birth to a second son, Harry, just before Christmas Day, and the trainer also had reason to celebrate when U Cant Be Serious took the 2m3f novice hurdle.

Jackpot Des Bordes was sent off the 4-6 favourite for Nicholls, who was bidding to win the race for the fourth consecutive season, but U Cant Be Serious bounded clear under Freddie Gingell to break his maiden.

"He's a lovely big, chasing type," Tizzard said. "He just tweaked his backend when he was ready to run in October. He was just half cooked at Exeter but came out of it and improved since.

"He's a lovely horse for the future and this is just the start. We've got a lovely bunch of novices this season."

Caeruleum follows up

It took two years of racing and 12 runs for Caeruleum to break his duck, but just 25 days on from a first success he was winning again for Robert Walford and Harry Kimber in the 3m2½f handicap chase.

The six-year-old won at Wincanton by 15 lengths at the start of the month and powered clear under top weight to beat Unspeakable by six and a half lengths.

Pritchard double

Exciting conditional Callum Pritchard notched a double. He enjoyed an easy success on the well-punted Moutarde in the 2m juvenile hurdle before rallying late on Tiny Tetley in the 3m handicap hurdle.

Tiny Tetley was the middle leg of a treble for Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, who also struck with Langley Hundred in the 2m7f novice handicap chase and Tom Doniphon in the conditional jockeys' 2m3f handicap hurdle.

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